GOLF
Evian cut to three rounds
The final women’s golf major of the year has been reduced to a 54-hole tournament after significant rain, strong winds and wet course conditions on Thursday forced the cancelation of the first round of the Evian Championship at Evian-les-Bains, France. World No. 1 Ryu So-yeon of South Korea and Jessica Korda were leading at two-under through six and eight holes respectively when play was halted. World No. 3 Park Sung-hyun of South Korea was at six-over through five holes. All scores from Thursday are to be taken off the board, with play beginning anew yesterday at 7:45am. After today’s play, a cut will be made and the top 70 players and ties are to advance to the final round on tomorrow.
SOCCER
Montpelier to get jerseys
Vermont’s capital city is saying merci to France for a spelling error on some soccer jerseys. Montpelier City Manager Bill Fraser said that Montpellier, France, ordered jerseys for its professional soccer team and fans, but they were delivered misspelled, with just one “L” instead of two. He said the French city has decided to send them to Montpelier, Vermont, which is spelled with one “L,” not two. Fraser on Thursday said that the jerseys will go to the Montpelier High School soccer teams and possibly sold in the community to benefit the high school boosters.
TENNIS
McHale advances in Japan
American Christina McHale yesterday pummeled Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Japan Women’s Open as the last two remaining seeds in Tokyo fell by the wayside. Defending champion McHale faced surprisingly little resistance from the third seed before Zarina Diyas came from a set down to beat fellow Kazakh Yulia Putintseva 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the day’s second quarter-final. Eighth seed Putintseva’s exit left organizers hoping Japanese qualifier Miyu Kato could continue her dream run after a week of upsets and the early loss of local favorite Kimiko Date in her final tournament at the age of 46. Kato did not disappoint, again punching above her weight as she thumped Date’s conqueror, Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia, 6-1, 6-3. “Once I won the first set I relaxed a little more,” McHale said. “I served better in the second set and pulled it out.” In the day’s final match, Croatia’s Jana Fett defeated China’s Wang Qiang 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
TENNIS
Safarova defeats Kenin
Top-seeded Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic on Thursday booked her quarter-final berth at the Coupe Banque Nationale in Quebec City with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sofia Kenin. Safarova fired 10 aces as she powered past the 18-year-old American, who is ranked 112th. Safarova is next to face 32-year-old fellow Czech Lucie Hradecka, who ousted 17-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Seventh-seeded Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium also reached the quarters, fending off a late challenge to beat New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic 6-4, 7-6 (7/4). Van Uytvanck next faces US qualifier Caroline Dolehide, who advanced on Wednesday when defending champion and second seed Oceane Dodin withdrew because of dizziness. American Sachia Vickery defeated eighth-seeded Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland to advance to the quarters, where she is to face Tatjana Maria of Germany.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
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